The Storm
by tatorxtotxkiller
Summary: Sometimes magic can't fix everything but someone might be able to help make the pain a little easier to bear. "She keeps telling herself, 'I will make it on my own' and her friends they've all gone back to their lives thinking she will be alright."
1. The Storm

As I'm sure you are all aware, I do not own the world of Harry Potter...no matter how much I wish for it. Just a bit of background info, the title The Storm is based off the song by Garth Brooks. Just one of those moments where you see something so clearly you must write it down so everyone else can see the picture. The following chapters will be a great deal longer but I wanted to get the idea out there and see how it would go over. Please let me know what you think! Thanks :)

Chapter One

Soaked, she sat on the castles front steps in the pouring rain. Lighting cracked overhead and the thunder shook the ground below her feet. Even she was uncertain if the water on her cheeks fell from the heavens or her own eyes. Minutes, hours, days may have passed unnoticed by the young girl. The only movements she made were to reach for a drenched letter lying beside her on the stone steps, so waterlogged the ink was smudged and running together to form a large blot of black on the yellow parchment which was beginning to dissolve in the rampant weather. That did not matter though for by now she had it memorized yet she kept the horrid reminder as truth for whenever she doubted the reality of her situation.

Her once pristine uniform clung to her as she shivered in the moonlight. Her friends were searching for her, she was sure of it. They jumped out of their seats and tried to follow her as he tore out of the common room in a blind run after receiving a letter from home what was honestly only three hours ago. A letter personally delivered by Professor McGonagall who looked grim as she stepped through the portrait hole. She let a small smile escape at the thought of her best friends tearing the castle apart in search of her. They would never think to look outside for just that morning over breakfast she mentioned her distaste of thunderstorms as the one growing outside made its presence known.

She was not worried about her friends concern at the moment. No, she had more pressing matters weighing on her. Looking down again at the sodden letter she realized that maybe magic could not fix everything no matter how much you wished for it.


	2. The Letter

Chapter Two – The Letter

The rain was reaching its end and the sun was beginning to rise in the horizon. All night Hermione sat on those hard steps reliving the storm raging in her head. Her now quiet surroundings seemed odd and unnerving compared to all she was feeling. The longer she sat there the more the silence pressed in on her.

The sun had just fully risen when the doors behind her were cracked open. She did not notice his presence at first but then he strutted down the steps beside her to stand in the grass just in front of her.

"God Granger, you look like shit," Draco Malfoy spat revoltingly. Her hair was still dripping wet and hung unattractively on her forehead and shoulders. The young girl made no sign that she hear or saw the sneering boy in front of her. He stood staring for a moment longer at his unresponsive peer.

With a small "Humph," Draco marched off to the Quidditch pitch with his broom slung over his shoulder intending to take advantage of the free pitch.

An hour and a half later a muddy but jubilant Draco made his way back toward the entrance. Breakfast would be starting soon and he was looking forward to gloating to his housemates at how good his practice had gone that morning.

'I suppose Granger finally came around,' he thought to himself as the front steps came into view and the bushy haired Gryffindor was no where to be seen. He did however notice there was something still lying on the stone steps. Getting a closer look he realized that it was a letter, or the remnants of one. The storm the night before had wreaked havoc on it just as it had done to Hermione. He gently lifted it, careful not to tear it any further. Most was illegible for the ink had run together but there were bits Draco was able to read.

The handwriting had been done with shaky hands for the letters were jagged and choppy. At the very top he was able to make out "We love…" and he assumed the following word to be 'you.' Roughly halfway down he caught Dumbledore's name, "nothing can be done", and "the healers and doctors tried." Draco was unsure what doctors were but guessed they were along the same lines at healers. Near the bottom fewer words were legible but "more testing" and the signature were easily read which was signed "with love, Mum and Dad."

So, someone was sick, that much he could guess. But who? Draco knew Granger's parent were muggles so it would be unlikely for them to visit St. Mungo's. Maybe it was Granger. She did seem awful out of it this morning. And Dumbledore was somehow involved. For the briefest moments a pang of sympathy shot through Draco like he had never experienced. But before he could properly analyze it, it had passed.

He gently pocketed the damp parchment and made his way inside to drop off his broom, change clothes, and make his was to breakfast for some much needed gloating on his superb flying skills.


	3. Sympathy

Chapter Three – Sympathy

It was not till lunch that same day that Draco remembered the letter folded in his back pocket. He was sitting at his house table talking with Blaise when he scanned the Great Hall and his eyes fell on the Golden Trio. Instantly, he could see that something was wrong. Hermione's eyes were open wide staring at the table in front of her with the same dazed expression she had earlier. Potter and Weasley were quietly talking with their heads bent low. Every now and then they would glance at Granger out of the corner of their eyes.

Draco reached around and felt the letter protruding slightly from his back pocket. Looking again at the Gryffindor's across the room, sympathy raked through Draco for the second time in the past twenty-four hours. Why was this happening? he thought slightly crazed. He felt nothing for Granger, nothing but loathing and disgust. Then why was his glare softening as he watched her look lost around the room? A tiny, miniscule part of him wanted to march across the room and comfort her for she clearly needed someone to. It looked as if Potter and Weasley were too scared of her odd behavior to do much else than stare questionably. But like the sympathy earlier, Draco squashed it like a small, annoying bug.

Draco did stand however and walk to the Gryffindor table fully intending to take advantage of her moment of weakness.

"Hello Mudblood," he spat. No reaction from Hermione only encouraged him. "What? No scathing remark or derogatory comment? Well, it's good to see you've finally learned not to speak so foully to your superiors." Slowly Hermione rotated her head so she was facing the blond.

Harry and Ron were holding their breath looking between Hermione and Draco. Once facing him, she simply stared at Draco as if not truly seeing him. It was then that Draco noticed her eyes. They were dead, completely numb. The smirk left his face as he looked back into her distance face.

As if speaking only to each other, the enemy's stared for a moment longer before Draco reached in his back pocket and withdrew the letter. Still, there was no reaction from Hermione.

"Is this about you?" he asked quietly. Again, slowly Hermione turned around again to face the Great Hall and began to dazedly gape at the table once more. Astounded by everyone's actions, Harry and Ron looked at each other then back at the scene before them.

When he received no answer, Draco laid the letter on the table and slid it closer to Hermione. Without another word, he marched over to the Slytherin table and sat while Hermione's hand crept out from her lap and drug the letter off.

"May I have your attention please," Professor Dumbledore booming voice echoed around the hall. Draco looked once more at Hermione who was again staring at her empty plate and he then turned his attention to the headmaster. "Welcome again to another year at Hogwarts. I hope you all enjoyed your first night here. I have just a few announcements that I did not get to last night. As always, magic is not to be preformed in the halls and the Forbidden Forest is still off limits to all students. It is my pleasure to announce our new Head Boy and Girl. Hermione Granger of Gryffindor and Draco Malfoy of Slytherin. It is my hope that you can all learn a lesson or two from our new Heads about the importance of inter-house unity.

"Classes will begin Monday so I hope you all enjoy your last weekend of freedom. If I could have the Head Boy and Girl meet me in my office after lunch I promise to not keep you long. Thank you." Dumbledore sat down and the food appeared on the golden plates before them.

No one really found it as a surprise that Hermione and Draco were the new Heads. As it was, Hermione was the brightest witch Hogwarts had seen in many years and Draco was very competitive and liked to be the best of everything. Many of the student body assumed that Malfoy senior was responsible for most of his son's success and achievements but if truth were told Draco had not seen hide nor hair of his father in nearly two years. Though it did not come as a great surprise to Draco, Lucius walked out on him and his mother one night in the middle of his summer vacation a few years ago. He just assumed he had run off with another woman which he would not put past his father. So now it was just Draco and his mother and neither one could be happier.

Lunch ended quickly that day for the beauty of the outdoors was drawing everyone to sit under the shade trees and dip their feet in the lake only to be tickled but the giant squid. Draco glanced every so often across the room to his fellow Head and saw that she had not touched the food presented before her but was still lost in her own head.

Harry and Ron were still regarding Hermione as if she might detonate at any moments. She stood from the table and walked blindly toward the headmaster's office. Draco followed a few moments behind.

Hermione was unaware where her feet were taking her but followed hoping they knew of their destination. When she reached the giant Griffin concealing the stairs that lead to Dumbledore's office she stopped and stared at the golden figure until Draco approached slowly, stated the password ("Warheads") and the Griffin began to spiral upwards. With a slight shove from Draco, Hermione boarded the moving staircase and rode it to the headmaster's office. The door opened on its own accord and with another gently nudge, the two students entered the grand circular room.

Dumbledore sat behind his desk looking grave. Elbows on his desk and fingertips together he surveyed the two before him.

He spoke first in a quiet whisper. "My dear, I cannot convey how sorry I am." Draco looked from Dumbledore to Hermione, whom he was currently speaking to. She had silent tears rolling down her cheeks and her fists were clenched at her sides. Draco fought the urge to reach out to her. 'What's wrong with her,' he thought to himself. 'What's wrong with me?'


	4. Dorms

So, I just want to send a super thanks to those who have reviewed and added this to their alert list. You guys rock. :) And the chapters are going to get longer, I promise.

Just wanted to point out that Voldemort is pretty much nonexistant in this story. We'll just say that he dissappeared a few years back. Also, if you haven't noticed by now but we are still within the first 24 hours from when we started. Just wanted to make sure that everyone was still up to speed. :)

Chapter 4 – Dorms

Hermione looked away to a bookshelf on the far side of the room. Draco could practically feel her pain and sorrow radiating out of her body. 'She's just a stupid Mudblood that deserves whatever she gets,' he thought, his resolve growing. A bored look now rested on his face.

Dumbledore cleared his throat and looked away from the crying girl. "As I said, I will not keep you long. I would like to congratulate both of you on your academic achievements that resulted in bestowing you with the great honor of becoming our Head Boy and Head Girl.

"Along with the honor come responsibilities. You will be in charge of assigning Prefect duties as well as completing your own. This title also comes with certain rewards. You will have your own common room, private bedrooms, and a kitchen for your personal use. We are trusting you to keep your dignity and respect each other." Now Draco really was bored. He knew all of this already from talking to previous Heads, even venturing into their common room once or twice when there was a particularly attractive Head Girl a year or so ago. A smirk played on his lips. He was always able to get anyone he wanted, even the older ones.

Dumbledore spoke again, "Mr. Malfoy, if you would excuse us I would like to talk to Miss Granger also. Please wait at the bottom of the staircase. Thank you."

Draco strolled out the door but did not descend down. He pressed his ear firmly to the crack hoping to catch what they were talking about. Silence was all that reached him until he heard the deep voice of the headmaster speak once more.

"Miss Granger, if there is anything, anything at all I can do for you please do not hesitate to ask. This came with a note from your parents this morning. The doctors and healers say that it will make things easier in the coming months. I am also going to give you this. Should you need anything, should an emergence arise just press this button and we will come to assist you. Now, I'm sure you are tired and would like to get settled into your new rooms."

Draco heard a chair scraping across the floor and footsteps head in his direction. He dashed down the stairs and tried to look nonchalant and bored as the leaned against the wall next to the golden Griffin. Regulating his breathing, Draco saw that Hermione was now carrying a brown box roughly the size of a Quaffle. He also noticed she had a silver chain around her neck but could not see what hung on the end for she had tucked it into her robes.

"Please follow me." Dumbledore strode out of in front of them and led them up two flights of stairs. They were now standing in front of a portrait of a pair of knights posing for the three.

"Constant Vigilance."

"Too right you are ole' chap," one knight said to Dumbledore and the portrait swung forward revealing an archway.

"This is where I leave you. Enjoy." With that, the headmaster turned on his heel and strode away.

Malfoy walked into the common room first, not bothering to see if Hermione was following. 'Let her stand out there all day for all I care. It would be better than in here with me.'

He gazed around the room and heard the portrait close quietly a few minutes later. Hermione walked to the two person dining table and set the box down. He heard what sounded like pills rattling.

"What's that?" he snapped, looking at the box but not really caring.

Barely above a whisper, Hermione answered, "Nothing."

"Whatever." Draco walked off toward the door with the Slytherin crest on it, entered, and slammed the door behind him.

Hermione jumped slightly at the loud noise then picked up her box and made her way to her own door bearing the Gryffindor crest. Shutting the door much more quietly than her roommate, she gently set the box on her bedside table, already knowing what lay inside. She pulled back her covers, crawled underneath, and, unable to hold back anymore, cried herself into a fitful slumber.


	5. Dreams

I would like to send a thank you to thoes who are following this story. I promise it gets better.

Anyone want to take a stab at what's happening overall?

Nope, still don't own any of it.

Chapter 5 – Dreams

He had just sat down on the end of his four-poster bed when he first heard it. Horrid, raking sobs were coming from the room just through the wall. Not feeling up to dealing with his stupid friends, Draco decided to take a nap before dinner. He was never going to get any rest if he had to hear that all the time. He stood and gave three hard pounds on the wall.

"Keep it down, will ya!" he shouted. Draco received no reply not did the crying cease. Another five minutes passed and the sobbing continued but he noticed the force of it began to waver till all noise subsided.

"Finally," he said in the silence. Just as Hermione had done minutes ago, he pulled the covers back and cuddled down. Within seconds he was fast asleep.

Images flashed in his head and his dreams went wild. He was first deposited in St. Mungo's; someone was lying on the bed asleep, breathing shallowly. He reached up and felt his face. He cheeks were wet with tears. He tried to walk forward to get a look at who he was visiting but the closer he got the farther away the bed moved. The figure became blurry till it was impossible to distinguish a human form.

Next, he was in a park he had never been in before. The grass had just been mowed and the birds zoomed around the clear blue sky above. Spring was in full bloom. To his left was a playground where kids were screaming and laughing on the play things. A smile tugged at his lips. He shook his head, trying to rid it of the happy, paternal thoughts. He looked to his right and was a bench. Someone was already seated at the far end but he was compelled to join them. The person was already blurry when Draco tried to focus on them and like before, when he tried to approach it, the bench moved farther away until he was running through the park trying desperately to reach the elusive bench. He ran faster yet the bench moved farther.

"Wait! Stop!" he yelled but the bench zoomed farther out of sight. With one more bust of speed he tried again to reach it.

Suddenly the earth opened up beneath his feet and he fell down into the dark when he woke abruptly wrapped in his sheets covered in sweat lying on the floor. He back smarted from the fall from bed. Draco was still disoriented from the dreams. He closed his eyes trying to make out anything to identify the mystery person. His nose was suddenly filled with the scent of clean cotton and could again see the grass and birds and harsh lighting of the hospital.

That smell connected everything but what did it mean? What did any of it mean?


End file.
